Propulsion mechanism for children&#39;s vehicles



JuneV 22 1926. 1,589,477

'J. H. MCELROY PROPULSION MECHANISM FOR CHILDRENS VEHICLES Filed May 10, 1922 AlO Patented June 22, 1926.

sfr-Arms; engr-ENI or BRASS MANUFACTURING COMPlANY,` 0F

ILLINOIS? EROPUIJSIONMECHANISM FOR` A'CIBILIABRIENS VEHICLES.

My inifentionijis concerned:with vehicles propt-Elle'dy by'tln'nst' mechanism; and 'morel espeeiaiiy 'Witfliz aflevert operated: Vehicle lin Whirli `:the

ti rust is. appliedfxtlirougln the medium offlazyj tongs' and lis. designedat@ produce"V ausiinple construetieni:wherebyk Wheel may be employedy as oir-ground'engaging element.. I

Itis further .concerned with awelncle "ot:

thef propelling:

thefelass described inunfliie'h the'lazy tongs'l s sapplied:with'k a. spring` presseidl yielding; that permits :oir the groundengaging;

bearin element Ybeingfpressedi into engagement with the ground'to: any' desired extent-.i

To illustrates-lily invention Lannex hereto axshee' r"='drawings, inwlnchthe same refer;

ence Characters are used'todesignate identi;- ca'l parts :inall the iigfuresrrot? Whichsection, on Athe line 1-1 ,ot Fig.. o

Figi Q'Li's a side'eleyationi'iir.section onithe` line -2-2-2" otr-Figi 1;.

sealefon theline .3.-3fot Fig-:21;

fis a View: in section on; the line t Bis ,a detailin section;V on an enlarged'i is i a-d a gramm atie' .View illhstrating inwhicli therearfwheels with: the propelling; mechanism and-,Which155Y may benapplie'dT to Widelyidiemnt forms@ andatypesfof. vehi'ole's-V In its preferredformil employ'an; operar-f ingleverfQO'liaving the handle bar; 21 and a' ulcruin formed the rod Y22:mounteda 60 at its ends in the npperside-bars16,:whiol1n are nearlybroughtftogether.y fo'rvthis pur-'e pose,.as Clearlyshovmin Figi.' v1.: Thexlower' end of' the. le'vergtr takes :the form ofi as fork;

to which `is -pi. foted. Athec forward: end :ottT 65 the lazy tongs; 2LP, which z muy' have# as Inanyf. se 'ionsfas is desired; and which isprefer'- a bld ,i1-ula rnnie dat; :the f first: lcross joint '.uponf y the' rod 25, Which isv inountedntox slideaxven tieallyf at :each end thereofI 'invthe--bearingvs'r 70 formed-fbytheetwo pairsroi bars QG'Seeunedf :itz-their upper. ends-,tothe inside? and ontf y side of the barsfl and similarlyseeured ati tlieirlower. endstto thebafrsf 14.1, Gollnrs' areasecured- 'on' thefrodi 25'. on either-iside ofi-"75 thexla'zy tongs.,1so'- as i to prevent ztlie` rodz'i 1^ iremJbeing shittedl'out;.ols its bearings.;` One the bar Qvfor-lninga ipartifot thefreaxvseetiioni .o t theffl'azy ytongs; I* lpivotwthe; yfork; 29 z Whiolris connected by .the-linlrSO-toithe com. panionl pieee4 31;' of 'the-rear section: otilthe,l lazy tongsY and, in,i the end: of' the orkff rse-i our@ ashyitheV rivets the beaningifrodf 3S-.Which has its Aenlarged di'skdilecenter 34 providedf ywith ythe plumlity ottapered supportirigfthe*"rear"Wheels,v which are also' supported' 1 byu the' pair seeuredf -to :the rea-r axles and'. 'extendingvforward: 'tothe plate i 15 1 tol Whioh theyx arer se-V of frame-y pie'ees 14 1 upper` side y the supports .11,1 and extending forward and pieees- V16-1 riveted 'to 'the 'sides of.

downwardand rivetedA at the forward'rends to :the platey 15. liotunaleld: on; the; end ot1an31aXlen18,: which They forward "Wheels 17 v:are

is fuloruinedzatf its central 'point upon `a` oi" these'freeessesslt place the clutch::rollersv 36,1,Whiclii -a-rethus held 'between'.the1 ydisk: 345 andthe innerwall; of; the yhubfeavitygoi 1 the' Wheel `38, which. isconvenientlyformedri' offfa pair of'-disk's-ofi thevshapewshown': ini; crossesection in' Fig: 3 and 'secured togetherr by' the. rivets 39,)anrl' preferably.- provided-E Witln ay 2 customary rubber(v tine:l 401:

Theactionl of the operation asthus far: deseribediis f as follows:Y Vilhenf. theA lazy tongs `is folded .up wvith. tlierhandlei 21'iny the f.=dotted:"line=. position shown `:in Fig. 1, the yWheeli, Whichnoonstitutes tlierpropel ling elementgnis -invcontaetl With the ground L between tliecwh'eelsv1G and'17,.and .when the handle is swung rearward to full line posi tion, the lazy tongs are expanded, as shown in full lines. At the beginning of the eX- pansion, the Wheel 38 tends to roll to the 105 rear, rotating clockwise, but this movement is immediately stopped, because the clutch rollers 36 are rolled clockwise and brought rollers 36 immediately pass to the large portion of the recesses 35, in which they are y free to turn and in which position the wheel is free to rotate on the rollers.

By comparison of the full and dotted line positions of Fig. 2, it will be obvious that as soon as the lever 20 begins to move back from the dotted line position, the pivot 4l, connecting the fork 23 with the lazy tongs, moves through an arc upward, with the result that the rear end of the lazy tongs is forced downward, as is desirable, within certain limits, to insure the necessary operating` engagement of the wheel 38 with the ground. As this downward thrust would be too great before the rearward stroke is completed, I provide the vertical bearings already described for the ends of the rod 25, so that the same can rise, and to regulate the amount of the pressure of the wheel 38 on the ground, I place in the cage-like space formed by the four bars 26 on each side a helically coiled expanding spring 42, and in a threaded aperture formed in the bars 16, I place the set-screws 43 which rest on disks 44 in turn resting on the top of the spring 42, so that by adjusting the set-screws 43, the degree of pressure of the springs 42 can be controlled, and at the same time the rod 25 is free to rise as is necessary during the full expansion of the lazy tongs.

If it is desired to reduce the amount of the downward thrust during the extension of the lazy tongs, I may substitute the alternative arrangement indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 5, Where the fork 23, instead of being connected directly to the pivot 41, has the link 45 interposed, with the result that when the lever 20 is pulled rearwardly, the pivot 4l does not have to rise through the arc of a circle with the pivot 22 as a center, but it can move more nearly horizontally, with the link 45 swinging from the horizontal to an inclined position to take care of the curvilinear movement of the end of the fork 23.

While I have shown and described my invention as embodied in the form which I at present consider best adapted to carry out its purposes, it will be understood that it is capable of modifications, and that I do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following' claims, except as may be necessitated by the state of the prior art.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. In a device of the class described, the combination with a frame, of carrying means mounted thereon, a propelling element, a lazy tongs mounted on the frame and carrying the propelling element on its free end, a lever fulcrumed on the frame and connected with the lazy tongs, and a spring pressed yielding bearing for said lazy tongs, for the purpose described.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a frame, of carrying means mounted thereon, a propelling element, a. lazy tongs mounted on the frame and carrying the propelling element on its free end, a lever fulcrumed on the frame and connected with the lazy tongs, a spring pressed yielding bearing for said lazy tongs, and means for adjusting the tension of the springs on said bearing.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a frame, of carrying means mounted thereon, a propelling element, a lazy tongs mounted on the frame and carrying the propelling element on its free end, a lever fulcrumed on the frame and connected with the lazy tongs, the arrangement and connection of the lever and lazy tongs on the frame being such that as the propelling thrust begins the propelling element is thrown down upon the ground with increasing pressure as the thrust continues, and a spring pressed yielding bearing for the lazy tongs so that the pressure can be regulated.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a frame, of carrying means mounted thereon, a propelling element, a lazy tongs pivoted in the frame at an intermediate joint and carrying the propelling element. at the end farther from the pivot, a lever fulcrumed in the frame and connected to the lazy tongs at the other end from the propelling element, a bearing for the lazy tongs pivot in which it can slide vertically, and a spring cooperating with the lazy tong pivot to hold it yielding down.

In wit-ness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of May, 1922,

JOI-IN HOWARD McELRGY.

llO 

